She Came With Another
by ArcaneShinigami
Summary: It's been four years. Bella left with Edward, and Jacob can't get over it. One fateful night, he runs into her at the grocery store. She doesn't appear to be married, nor vampire, but she is holding something special...R&R! J/B
1. Wrong Impressions

**Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Twilight, because uh, I don't wanna get sued...kthx! **

**This is a Jacob/Bella Fanfic written for angrypixie at sortofbeautiful on livejournal!!! :) This is just the first chapter...there will be more.**

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Chapter 1: Wrong Impressions

Some might say a twenty year old man living with his father still is going no where in life; well that's not true at all, I happen to be going to the grocery store!

_Oh geeze, there I go again, trying to cover up my miserable failure of a life with humor! Even in my own mind I sound like a loser._ I gripped tightly to the leather steering wheel of my Rabbit, seething in my own incompetence.

There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't try to blame my going-nowhere on someone. Sometimes I blamed the pack; after all, I couldn't leave them! Sometimes I blamed my dad; I mean, he's in a wheel chair, who else can take care of him? But most times I blamed Bella Swan; if it wasn't for her coming into my life, stealing my heart away, and running off with that no-good vampire boyfriend of hers, I wouldn't be so depressed.

Sure, I could've always gotten over her and moved on, but why would someone so stupid as me do something like that? No, no, no; I'd much rather rot away in misery, sure, sounds fun!

I groaned in frusteration as I pulled up to the grocery store outside of Port Angeles; apparently what dad needed was all the way out here, rather than in the convenience store at La Push or Forks. Seriously, what could possibly be here that I needed to waste an hour of my time on driving to get to?

Stepping out of my car, I slammed the door a bit too hard, and noticed the dent now printed on the side. _Oops, guess I'll fix that later. _

If it that wasn't already bad, the store itself was huge, and I'm not exactly shopping-smart. I grabbed one of the carts and started walking down the first isle. My gaze drifted to the list in my hands and I sighed; of course, the list is nearly as big as the store; thanks, Dad.

As I grabbed impatiently at the items on the list, thoughts of Bella, once again, currupted my mind. Her smile, her laugh, her acheing when Edward left, her voice, her face...everything about her I'd never see again. Why I always had to torture myself with these thoughts, I had no idea. It came natural after she left.

_When she left_, my mind sparked, _I wanted to beat the living hell out of that blood-sucker. He took her away from me, and she followed...willingly! By now I'm sure she's been married and turned vamp with him. If I ever, ever find that vampire Edward, I'll--_

My thoughts had consumed me so much, that I didn't notice the person standing in front of me; the one that I just ran into.

I stuttered, regaining my balance, "Oh, sorry, sorry, I wasn't paying atten..."

My heart stopped. All air moving through my body went stagnant, as I beheld the person standing before me. She hadn't turned around yet, but I knew immediantly who it was.

"It's fine," she muttered, still not turning, "Accidents happen; especially to me." I heard her voice laugh lightly.

"Y-yeah," I breathed, "I know...Bella."

Her walking halted, and she turned her head around, her eyes immediantly lighting up in surprise, "Oh my god, Jake?!" She stayed in the same spot, not moving, and it looked like, not even breathing. "You...you're...oh my god!"

I shook my head in disbelief, "Bella, you're here! And...you're...alive." placing one hand to my head to settle the dizziness, "How...how can that...how?!"

She turned around to face me, and once again, my heart went to a screeching halt. I gulped, "B-Bells, y-you're..." my hand lifted lightly to point at the object in her hand, "Holding..a..b-baby."

She rose an eyebrow and smiled sarcastically, "Yes, Jake, this is a baby. Glad you noticed."

I nearly burst at the seems, "You have...a baby." I stepped back, looking at her hand; there was no ring. She wasn't married!

She overlooked me for a moment then sighed, "Yes, I have a baby. What's your point?" _Did she look at me sarcastically just now?!_

I clenched my jaw together, and looked at the baby; it was beautiful, but I couldn't see any trace of the blood-sucker in it's face. I looked back to her, "Is it that blood-...is it...Edward's?"

_Oh god, she's glaring at me. I haven't seen her in so long, and I've already pissed her off. _She held the baby close to her and continued to glare daggars at me, "No, it's not Edward's. No, it's not _mine_ either. I..." she paused, lightening up just a bit, "...adopted."

_Okay, she adopted. Why do I feel so relieved? I mean, if she did have a baby with the blood-sucker, it wouldn't have been my business anyway! Still, I'm so friggin happy she didn't have a kid with him_. I let a huge breath out and brought a small smile to my lips, "...he's beautiful."

She smiled back, her face warmly lit by the true joy she held in her hands, "He is. I love him so much. I never thought I'd want to be a mom so early on, I mean, I'm only twenty-two...but I'm so happy I have him."

I stepped foreward a bit, getting a better view, "What's his name...?" I looked at the baby a little bit closer now; he was darker skinned, sort of like me, and had amazingly light blue eyes. He looked only to be about 9 months old, and had a very healthy figure for his age.

She smiled sheepishly, "It's kind of a different name..." then paused, "His name is...Zephyr...Zephyr Alexander Swan. A mouth full, I know."

_Swan_._ So she really isn't married!!! _

I smiled, touching the babies little fingers, "Hey Zeph, how yah doin' buddy?" then smiled at Bella; her face, so beautiful, had only matured and deepend in the four years we hadn't seen eachother, "He looks Quillett, like me."

She nodded, "He is. Actually, I found him in an adoption agency a few towns away from here. They said two young teens came and brought him; apparently it was a young pregnancy, and they couldn't take care of the baby."

_Whoa, that's weird._ "Actually, that's really trippy. I heard about them; supposedly reckless and young, got pregnant, couldn't take care of the baby, gave it away, then picked up and moved...both the families! Nobody knows where they went. Strangest thing."

A smirk played at her lips, "Just destiny...destiny that I'd get this beautiful little boy."

"Speaking of destiny," I started, "Where have you been all these years?"

Her expression deepened, and saddened, "I...have been...busy."

I nodded, "Seems that way; other than the baby, _where_ have you been?"

She looked around her, seemingly anxious, then looked back at me with a worried expression, "Can we talk somewhere else?"

I looked down at my list, and my half-full shopping cart. _Sorry dad, the groceries will have to take a rain check._

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**Eeeee!!! I like itttt. Sorry if it's not humorous enough...idk, I think I'm better at angsty, serious stuff. Anyone else here like the name Zephyr? I'm totally naming my kid that. Totally. It means something like...a strong gust of wind. Sounds american indian, no? Hehe. **

**Please Review!!!! **_  
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	2. Catching Up

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, okay?**

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Chapter 2: Catching Up

It didn't take long to get to the small coffee shop, _Joe Bean_. Shortly after our first confrentation in the grocery store, which I still couldn't wrap my mind, or heart around, we walked outside. Bella insisted on taking her own car, because her child...he needed a special seat. A baby's seat.

I watched from the inside of my Rabbit as she pulled up and got out. I noted her heading for the trunk, swiftly got out of my car, and pushed her aside gently, "I can do it."

She eyed me, then shrugged, "Alright. I'll get Zephyr."

I got the stroller out, unfolded it, and pushed it over for her to strap the baby in. With a small grin, she did so, and started towards the coffee shop. Quickly opening the door for her, she pushed the baby in, and made her way to a table in the back. _Just like her_, I thought, _sitting out of view of everyone else. _

After taking my seat, which by the way was far too small for my enormous body, I looked her over. The warm lighting of the shop made her features stand out to me even more; those deep, brown eyes...they haunted my dreams too many nights.

She smiled, "I haven't seen you in forever; you're huge! How have you been?"

_I've been awful; you left me, remember?_ I pushed away my thoughts and forced a tight smile, "I've been...living. And yes, I'm huge. Four years since you last saw me and I've barely stopped growing."

"What's your height now?" She asked curiously.

I squinted my eyes, "Er, 'round 7.5'."

"Holy crap, Jacob. That's insane." her eyes widened, as she stared at me in disbelief.

I scratched my head nervously, "Heh heh, I think there's something in the water down there at La Push; it's not just me that's grown, all the other guys have as well. 'Course their lives have all changed since you've been here...a lot has."

Her expression saddened, "Yeah...I have a lot of catching up to do."

"Speaking of catching up," I looked into her eyes carefully, "What _has_ happened since I last saw you, Bells?" Man, it felt so good to say her name again while looking into her face. The romantic setting didn't help how much I wanted to reach out and hold her tightly to me...

She gulped, biting her lip nervously, just like I remember. "I don't even know where to start..."

I shrugged, bitterness starting to touch my tongue, "Perhaps right after you ran away with that blood-sucker."

She took the blow well, but I could see sadness edging her face ever so lightly, "Yes, I guess that'd be as good a time as ever..." starting to wring her hands together. _Wringing her hands? She never did that before, must be a new habit. _

"Directly after that, we went to Alaska...just like planned. Um, Edward finally convinced me to get married, so we got married a few months after we moved there. It didn't go as smooth...as we'd hoped." the wringing of her hands got worse and I could've sworn I saw her nails

digging into her hands, "We got a divorce...really shortly after we got married. I don't even think we were together two weeks, really." She looked up to me, her eyes quaking with a fear I'd never seen before; maybe a fear of rejection? From...me? "I left the Cullen's...and headed south."

"Were you by yourself the whole time?" I asked, careful to examine her expressions.

"Yes. That is, till I found Zephyr. When I saw him in that adoption agency, I couldn't stop. I just had to have him. I had to. Something about him just...drew me in." Her eyes lit up again as she spoke of her new bundle of joy.

"How long was it before you found Zephyr that you were alone? Where were you till then...?" It seemed like she skipped a lot, I mean, her explanation was terribly short.

"I've only had him for three months, and I was alone for...probably two and a half years? Around that time." Now that we were off the subject of Edward, her face shown a bit more happiness. "It wasn't terrible being alone. I called Charlie after I left the Cullen's to let him know I was okay, and that I didn't just leave to be away from him. I call him still, from time-to-time...I asked him...not to talk about me to Billy and you though."

I knitted my eyebrows, "_Why? _Why wouldn't you want me to know how you're doing?" Seriously; she got married, divorced, and away from the blood-suckers, yet she didn't come to see me?!

She frowned, "I had a lot of soul-searching to do; there was too much wrong with me to come back home."

"I've helped you before! I could be there for you again! What drove you to leave the blood-suckers anyway? They didn't fullfill your needs and turn you into one of them?" Spite and malice filled my mouth and poured out like a vicious poison ready to kill anyone around.

She sat back, folding her arms across her chest, giving me a sad smirk, "Sure, Jake, blame that. No, that's not the reason. Actually, I don't feel like going into that right now, do you mind?"

I huffed, running a hand through my messy scalp, "Nah, sure, that was enough for now." _I need to let all of it soak in, anyway. _

A few seconds of awkward silence went by; our coffees were finished by the time one of us made any movement. I stared at her, "Despite all of this," my voice starting to shake with emotion, "I'm _so_ glad I found you again." I laughed under my breath, "I'll have to thank dad later for sending me out to get groceries."

--

Saying goodbye to her again was nearly bitter-sweet; we traded phone numbers, email adresses, and I got her adress, so this time, at least, I knew I'd be able to find her.

Staring at the road, my mind wandered to her last words:

_"Jacob, there's so much I want to talk about, but am not ready for. I hope you can...come to forgive me for every kind of pain I gave you." she stared deeply into my eyes, seering my soul, "I've missed you...so much." _

My hands dented the steering wheel, my voice mumbled, "Bella, you have no idea how much I've missed you."

--

After my short stop to the grocery store to grab most of the groceries my dad listed, I lugged them into the Rabbit, and drove home as fast as I possibly could. Dad would probably have a fit if I didn't get the stuff back before it melted, and I knew for sure he'd be asking what took me so long.

Bella...Bella is what took me so long. She'd changed so much, yet at the same time, barely at all. She was married, but then got divorced shortly after! Did her beloved blood-sucker do something to break her trust, or even...hurt her? Had something come in the way of their relationship? Something happened, but no matter how curious I was to the reason, I wouldn't do anything to pusher now. She's finally back into my life; I couldn't complain.

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	3. Visitation Rights

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, S. Meyer does.**

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Chapter 3: Visitation Rights

Of course Dad was waiting for me at the door step; I mean, I'd been gone two extra hours. He sat there in his wheelchair, practically glaring laser beams at me.

I grabbed all the bags full of food and walked up to him, my eyebrows slightly lifted, "Just a bit miffed, are we?"

His brows furrowed into a tight line, "What took you so long?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Seriously, Dad. I'm twenty years old, why the hell does it even matter? I can be gone as long as I friggin want to."

I pushed past him and walked into the house, putting the bags on the counter, and getting the groceries out to put away. I heard him roll inside and shut the door, then roll up beside me. "Did something happen?" his voice was a bit softer, as if there was concern dripping lightly from his words.

I side-glanced him, "Does there have to be something wrong just cause I took my time?" then turned back to the groceries, "I mean, for all you know, I went on a date. Or, maybe I just wanted to go check out some scenary! _Or_, wow Dad, maybe I just wanted a _break_ from La Push."

I felt his sudden sadness from my words wash over me like a pang of guilt I'd not felt in ages. I turned back to him; his eyes were looking down, and away from mine. "I mean," I sighed, scratching at my head, "I don't mean that. You were right; something did happen, and because of that, my whole emotional-train is off it's tracks. I'm sorry I blew up on you."

He looked back up to me, sadness still ebbing in his voice, but concern once again taking over, "What is it, Jacob? You can tell me; I'm your dad, I care for you. Of course I knew something was wrong when you come home two hours late! You're life is only here in La Push, you never leave unless I ask you to do something for me!" He paused, checking my expressions, "So, if you were to be late for anything, I have to assume something _different _happened."

I bit my lip, He really knew me well; maybe too well, which was a sign that I'd been home without a life way too long.

"If I tell you," I started out carefully, testing the waters, "You might get mad. You might even 'forbid me' from leaving the house." Which he couldn't really do; I could leave when I wanted to.

"Jacob, like I said: I'm your father, you can tell me anything." Dad smiled at me, his wrinkle lines pushing up past his cheeks.

I couldn't help but to smile back at him, if only a little. "Alright, you asked for it." with a big breath, I let everything slip out, "I went to the grocery store, was looking for all the crap on your list, I ran into someone...I looked down, it was _Bella! _I friggin freaked out cause it was her, and oh, by the way, she had a _kid _now! But it's not her kid, it's an adopted kid from here at the Rez. I found out she married the stupid bloodsucker but divorced him really shortly after, and she'd been by herself for over_ three years_. So now she's living in Port Angeles with her new adopted baby, by herself, _not_ with the leech!"

It took a moment for me to regain my breath. My dad's eyes were the size of dinner plates, his mouth gaping, "She's back?" he questioned, his voice shaky.

I nodded slowly, "Yeah...she is." He had no idea how much I was going through internally; it was a range from: joy of seeing her, anger that she never called me or let me know how she was doing, and fear that she would leave again.

Dad was rubbing his forehead with one hand, his eyes closed. "Jacob...I...am not too sure how I feel about this. I'm happy for you, in a sense, because of how much...you've missed her. Yet, at the same time, I feel she's a danger to you_ and _the pack. I don't know what to think right now..."

I sighed, crossing my arms, "How is she a danger? She has a baby and isn't connected to the leeches anymore. What's she gonna do, trip and fall on us?" a smirk lined my lips as I thought about all the times I'd had to save Bella from all her clumsiness...

"I...I guess...but what if she's still tied to the...Cullen's? Somehow, even if it's the tiniest bit? What if you let yourself get hurt again, Jacob?" Dad spoke to me in a very solemn, careful, but serious tone.

"I don't know, honestly. All I can say right now, is all the years that I went without her...it was an amazing feeling to see her again. It was like..." I stopped, contemplating, "It was like breathing again for the first time in four years. Now that I know where she's at, I'll be seeing her more often. She sounded eager to visit us, to catch up." I looked into dad's eyes, "I'm _not_ letting her leave again."

--

It was quite a shocker to hear Bella's voice on my voicemail the next day. She had called early in the morning while I was still sleeping; she sounded nervous, like she was talking to a stranger or something. She asked to come over and hang out, also throwing in that Zephyr would be coming. What kind of person did she think I was? I mean, did she think I'd make her leave the kid? Heh. Bells, seriously.

I called her back immediately and told her to come over as soon as possible. I wanted to see her; now that I knew she was back, I needed her more than ever.

Just a few hours later I heard the roar of an engine pulling up into our property. I peeked my head outside the door and grinned, _Yes, she's here. Oh, god, she's so beautiful. _She smiled at me from beside the car while she was strapping Zephyr into his seat. Once again I ran up and made sure she wasn't having work hard; I took the seat and carried him into the house.

"God bells, it's so great to see you." I turned to her, placing the seat carefully onto the floor beside the couch.

She smiled shyly at me, "It's amazing to be back; you have no idea how long I've wanted to come visit."

"Why haven't you, though?" I sighed, "I mean, I get the whole 'soul searching' time period...but Bells, I hate that you never said anything to me. You know I would've wanted to know where you were. At least know that...you were safe."

She bit her lip, eyes darting to the floor, "There was things I needed to figure out first, like I said..."

Not wanting to make her first few minutes here awkward, I changed the subject, "So the pack said they want to see you; they're all pretty excited to hear that you're back."

She looked back up to me, her eyes now gleaming, "Really? I miss them all so much!"

A strange sound from beside me caught my attention. Bella made a face and lent down to pick up the baby. He was making a noise that most mothers would title 'cooing'. The smile she gave him nearly made me melt; such love and affection...it's as if she'd loved him her whole life.

"You love him a lot." I breathed, staring at them.

She nodded, placing a binky into Zephyr's mouth. "More than my own self."

"How did you know he was what you wanted? I mean, was it like...baby love at first sight?" I chuckled.

She smirked, "Something like that; some kind of chemical reaction, I guess, from seeing him." Suddenly she turned to face me again, her eyes full of a sincere kindness I hadn't seen in so many years, "Actually, he reminded me a lot of you."

My face turned red; _why hadn't I thought of that before?!_ "O-oh, really? Did you...miss me that much?" Maybe humor can make this stupid red go away. Ugh.

She grinned, "I think that's probably it. I missed you, and this baby reminded me of you..._I_ _had to have him_."

_Is it just my own desperate thoughts, or did she just hint what I wish she just hinted?_ I shook my head, and smiled back at her, "I'm glad to be of assistance, then."

Just then, a noise came from the back room, and I dad started rolling out. A huge grin was plastered on his face, "Bella Swan! I'll be! How have you been?"

She grinned right back at him, "I'm great! It's amazing to see you again!" she bent down, giving him a side hug, holding Zephyr with the other arm, "How are you, Billy?"

Dad smiled at her, but his eyes went straight for the baby, "I'm good, I'm good..." he gasped, "This little boy! He's so beautiful."

"Isn't he though?" she giggled, "His name is Zephyr; I adopted him from just a city away from La Push. Jake says he was the baby of some young couple that used to live here."

Dad motioned to hold him, and Bella carefully placed the now sleeping Zephyr into his arms. "Believe it or not," she started, "He actually has very blue eyes."

Dad gave her a questioned look, "Blue? But he's...native american, like us. Most people have brown or green eyes...that's very special!"

She smiled, "He's my very special little boy."

"Hey Bells?" I asked; I really needed to get alone with her.

She cocked her head to the side, looking absolutely adorable, "Hmm?"

"Do you mind if dad watches him for a few minutes? Like, just a little while. I was wondering if you'd walk down to the beach with me." Did I sound to desperate? Geeze, I hope not.

She looked at dad holding him, then back at me, "As long as it's okay with him; is it okay with you Billy?"

Dad looked at me, then back at Bella, "Oh, it's fine! I'd love to hold him. You two go ahead."

--

I wondered if it would be okay, if I could just reach out and hold her hand while we walked...like we used to. A few minutes into the silent walk, I reached my hand over and grabbed hers tenderly. Her eyes drifted up to mine; they looked happy, and a bit hesitant. I just stared back at her, not realizing that we had stopped walking.

"Why did you leave me?" I breathed, not really thinking of my choice in wording. Now was probably the only time I'd have alone with her for a while...I needed to lay my cards out on the table.

She continued to stare into my eyes, pain edging her voice, "Jake, you know how hard it was...the decision."

I squeezed her hand tighter, "I loved you..." my voice shook, "I...I still love you."

She bit her lip, "You know I didn't want to leave. I made...I made the wrong decision. I shouldn't have left, but some part of me...a stupid part, thought that I couldn't live without Edward. But, with these past few years, I've proved that I can. That was...part of my 'soul searching'."

"It was hard..." my face dropped; why stop being honest now? I'm already on a roll. "I missed you...I never...I never got over you."

"Jake..." her voice was light, like she was speaking air that cooled by body, "I love you too. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't miss you."

_She still loves me? She...missed me that much? I looked at her again,_ "You do? You love me?"

She smiled, bringing one hand to stroke my face. I closed my eyes as her cooler, beautiful pale hand touched my flaring cheek. "Bells..." I groaned.

"I'm home, Jake. I'm home."

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**Sorry this chapter took so long!!! I was having a hard time writing it, and my other story. lol I'm workin' on it though! Be patient with me....hahha. I did get you a long chapter though. What you think? I'll try to update soon okay? Reviews are love!!!!**


	4. Daddy Jake

**Disclaimer: I dost not owneth Twilight-eth. Eth.**

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Chapter 4: Daddy Jake

Bella and I took the rest of that walk to go about talking through my troubles of her being gone and the things I went through. It was a bit hard opening up to her about it, because I didn't want to make her feel too bad. She kept smiling and squeezing my hand comfortingly every time my emotions kicked in.

I consistantly had to tell her that it was okay, because of how many times she apologized. Truthfully, it really was her fault, all the pain I'd gone through; I just didn't want her to feel bad for it. I know she had to make a decision, I just hated which one she decided upon.

When we got back to the house, dad was holding Zephyr, who had woken from his short nap. Zephyr was smiling and playing with dad; they seemed to get along quite well. "He likes you a lot!" Bella practically sang, watching them.

Dad laughed heartily, "Yes, he seems to. He's such a cute kid. For a 3 month old he has quite a bit of personality!"

She nodded, "Yep. I don't have much personality, so it's nice to have family that does." then giggled.

Dad handed Zephyr back to her, "He does have beautiful blue eyes. I'm still so shocked that they're blue."

I took the time to look at his eyes, leaning over her carefully, "Wow, he really does. Man, that's so weird. Special, but strange!"

Bella rolled her eyes and batted at me, "Don't call my baby weird!" then stuck her tongue out at me. Boy did I miss that cute personality of hers. So stubborn.

I pouted, "So I guess that means you won't let me hold him now? I was just about to ask..."

One of her eyebrows perked up as I pouted, "I was just kidding, silly. Here, hold your arms out...careful, careful Jake." she said, carefully placing him into my arms. He looked so small in my huge embrace.

"You make him look so tiny, Jake." she mused.

"Hey you guys, I'm going into my room for a rest. I'll see you later Bella; bring that boy over more often, now that you're back, huh!" dad said, starting for his room.

"I'll be around a lot Billy, no need to worry about that." she smiled, then watched him go into his room and click the door shut.

She turned back to me, still smiling lightly. Looking carefully, thoughtfully at us, with her head cocked to the side in that once again cute manner. I grinned, "Like what you see?" snuggling Zephyr gently.

She nodded, her sweet smile still playing on her full lips, "Yes, I do. I like how he looks with you."

"Do I look like his dad? It's the skin color, isn't it." I laughed.

"Well, that," She started, moving a bit closer to us, slowly, "And I just think you'd make an excellent daddy." she smiled, looking up at me, tracing one hand over my arm that was holding Zephyr.

I blushed lightly; wait, why does she keep making me blush? "Thanks...I _do_ love kids."

"Actually, I have something to ask you." she said, biting her lip nervously.

"Shoot." It was the only thing I could think to say; my mind was too focused on ogling her adorable face.

"Well...I'm...raising Zephyr by myself, and I've been thinking that, well, he needs a male influence in his life. I mean, right _now_ he doesn't care that much, but eventually he's going to." she was practically munching on her lip now, "Well, Jake, I was wondering if you sort of would...be that male role. A daddy, an uncle, a big brother, whatever you want."

My eyes widened, "_Really?" _That was something big to ask, but for her...I'd do anything. I can't believe she wanted _me_ to do something like that for her...for her baby!

She nodded, still chewing on her lip, looking at the baby in my arms.

"Geeze, Bells. I don't know what to say." I was baffled, really. "I mean, of course I'll do it, I just can't believe you'd consider me for that!"

She smiled, "Course I'd offer it to you! You're my best friend, Jake!"

My heart stung a bit; Yeah, best friend. I sighed, trying to keep happy, "I'll play daddy, uncle, and big brother, all wrapped into one. How does that sound?"

She grinned, her face now full of joy, "Oh, that sounds so amazing! Thank you!" then hugged my side.

I freed one arm, and reached it around her, pulling her closely to me, "No problem Bells."

--

She left a few hours later. We spent the day hanging out inside, talking about her life alone, and her life with the baby. I asked her to stay long enough for the pack to come over, but she insisted on meeting up with them another day. Apparently she had to 'get home and take care of some things'. Only made me wonder what _things_ she was talking about.

Right after she left, I heard a howl come from the forrest behind me. I stepped out of my jeans and shifted, calling out, Hey what's wrong? I heard someone yell for me.

_Guh, Jake! I wanna see Bella, I wanna see her! _Seth whined. It had been a while since he'd seen her, and he'd always been very fond, in a little brother kind of way, to her.

I laughed, _Settle down sport. She just left, actually. She had been over all day but had to take care of some stuff back at her place. Don't worry though; she said she'll try to come over in a few days with the baby. _

I heard his trompings come from deep into the forrest and speed up until he met up with me. _Really? Great! Everyone's so excited about this. I bet you are, especially, huh?_

I rolled my eyes, _Course I am. This is a big deal. I still...have to be careful though._

He cocked his furry head to the side, _What? Why's that?_

_Seriously Seth, you're seventeen and you still don't get it?_ I grumbled.

He whined, _No, I don't understand! Why be careful? She's Bella! You've been in love with her forever, she's back, now's the time to take action and snatch 'er up! _

I barked at him, _Quiet already! Don't you...think it's a bit too early to be considering that? She just came back, I have to give her time to feel comfortable. Plus, I'm not...sure that I trust she'll be here forever. _

_What, 'fraid you'll get your tail stepped on again, Alpha?_ Leah's annoying voice trailed into my head.

I turned to her approaching presence, _Don't call me that, and no...not exactly. I'm not putting my 'tail' out to be stepped on again. If she wants to leave, then she won't be tromping on me on her way out. _

_You don't think she sincerely wants to be back for good, Jake?_ Seth whined again.

I thought about it for a moment,_ I'm not sure, but she did ask something big of me that should keep her here for a while... _

Just before they could ask, I let my thoughts run over the entire conversation Bella and I had earlier; the one where she asked me to be father over her kid.

_And you said yes? Pitiful. _Leah complained.

_Whoa! Jake! You're gonna be a daddy now! That's freakin' sweet!_ Seth jumped around me like a little puppy.

_Yeah, guess I am. I'm not sure...how that works though. I guess I'll just try to be as good to the kid as I can._ I sat, then layed both arms in front of me, sprawled comfortably on the cool earth. _Oh, by the way, did you know that the kid, Zephyr, is actually the son of that young couple that moved away after they gave their baby up for adoption?_

Seth stopped jumping, staring at me, _Nash and Jessibelle's kid? Whoa, didn't see that one coming. _

_And little Zephyr has extremely blue eyes. It's really strange. _I added, looking over at Leah, who was biting at something on her paw.

She spat out whatever was on there and thudded over,_ Really? That is pretty weird. Is it a cute kid, at least? _

I sighed, _Very cute. She said I looked good holding him... _My mind wandered; oh crap, getting gushy again.

Leah laughed a haughty laugh, _So, Alpha, you run into this girl who you've loved forever that left you for a blood-sucker, and right off the bat she asks you to be father to her little adopted kid; oh, and you say yes! Wow, great plan at not getting your heart broken again. _

_What am I supposed to do, tell her no? Ignore her? _I growled.

She shrugged, _Yeah, maybe! But then again you don't really know how to be smart. By now you'd think you would've gotten over her and moved on to somebody else. She's caused you too much pain, don't you think?_

Some of what Leah's harsh words were made sense to me; it's true, what Bella put me through by leaving was absolute hell on earth. I couldn't stand the thought of her being a viscious blood-sucker; she was dead to me for years. As soon as I found her alive and well I didn't know how to contain myself. I was struck with so much happiness that I didn't care about everything I'd gone through in the past! Even now I couldn't find myself to hate her for it all.

_She did hurt me, a lot. It was hard, and I know you know what it feels like_, Leah. I looked at her, _But I can't let her go now. She's back, and I have the strength to keep her here if I wanted to. I won't let her run off to anymore foolhardy adventures_.

She sighed, _Whatever Alpha; if you get hurt, don't turn wolf cause I sure as hell don't wanna hear your whining again_. She turned and ran out and away from us.

Seth sat next to me, _Hey man, I think you should have faith. She's back; that's a good sign. And hey, if you ever need help changing diapers, I'm there for yah! _

I couldn't help but to laugh at Seth's innocent nature, _Yeah, thanks kid. _

Now all I needed to do was keep having faith and make sure I don't get my tail stepped on. Hopefully in the process Bella will come to trust me enough, again, to share with me what caused her to leave that leech.

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**Terribly sorry for the long 6 day wait, loves. I've been not feeling well and quite busy with school, not to mention my lack of imagination for this story! I haven't a shiny where 'tis going! Idea's would be but a precious to me at a time like this; so click on the green button and Review!!! Thankyee. **


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